Modified poker game with jokers

ABSTRACT

A method of playing a wagering card game begins with a wager from each player, and is played in a predetermined maximum number of rounds, each round consisting of the deal of at least two cards to each player and the dealer. At the end of the first round, the game is over if the dealer&#39;s hand contains at least a minimum specified rank. Rankings, from minimum rank to maximum rank, consist of a Pair, 3-of-a-Kind, 4-of-a-Kind, 5-of-a-Kind, etc. Each player&#39;s hand is then compared to the dealer&#39;s hand, and the higher ranking hand wins. Winning player hands are paid according to a predetermined paytable. At the end of any round, a player&#39;s hand with one Joker may automatically bust; i.e., all of the player&#39;s wagers are lost, and his cards removed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a poker game suitable for use incasinos and other gaming establishments as a table card game or a videopoker game. The invention further relates to casino gaming wherein agame is played using a single or multiple standard deck of cards that isaugmented by one or more jokers and dealt in a designated number ofrounds, each round preferably consisting of precisely two cards beingdealt to each of the players and the dealer.

2. Background of the Art

Games based upon variations of poker have attained enormous popularityas casino-type entertainment games, particularly in the last twentyyears. The success of poker games in the gaming industry is partiallybased on the game's simplicity (i.e., there is widespread publicknowledge of the game rules) and the fact that players feel moredirectly involved in exercising judgment in the play of the game.

Traditional poker as played in card rooms and casinos allow players tocompete head to head against other players. The casino typically chargesa fee or vigorish for the privilege to play at the table, and so is oneof the rare wagering games in which the casino does not have a built-inpercentage advantage per game.

Many new approaches to poker have been developed for casino table gamesthat can be played on a blackjack-like table, in which the playerscompete against the house or against a paytable, and in which the househas an edge or percentage advantage. These poker variations now rivalthe popularity of blackjack in many venues. Specific variants includeLet It Ride®, Caribbean Stud Poker®, Three Card Poker®, Four Card Poker™and 3-5-7 Poker™. Each of these games is poker-based; i.e., decisionsare based on a knowledge of traditional poker rules and basic standardpoker rankings. This makes these games appealing to many players whofully understand the intricacies of poker's gameplay decisions andpayout possibilities.

On the other hand, there are popular casino table games that do notrequire a working knowledge of poker. Some players prefer to wager theirmoney on a more random and entertaining form of game that is easilyunderstood, and that has compelling personal risk-level choices. Oftenthese kind of card games are referred to as “carnival games”. Among themore prevalent games in this category are Casino War™ and Catch a Wave™.In these games, the player is allowed to make choices based on primarilythe rank and/or the color of the cards and more simple decisions andrules are featured.

It would be advantageous to combine a poker-based game with acarnival-type game so that the player is offered a quick and compellingcard game that does not require extensive knowledge of poker rules andyet allows the player a simple decision-making process that encouragesthe player to play at a comfortable risk level.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,991,538 (Cannon) teaches a gaming device having a pokergame including at least one card in addition to a conventional fifty-twocard deck which has a negative impact on the hand held by the player. Inone embodiment, the negative impact card is not considered whendetermining if a winning combination exists. Additional embodimentsinclude an inability to discard the negative impact card requiring theplayer to play for a winning combination among four, rather than five,cards. In an alternative embodiment, the player must decide whether todiscard a card without knowing if it is a positive or negative impactcard. Whether the card is a positive or negative impact card is notrevealed to the player until after the first draw. The negative impactcard can be used in all poker games and other card games where theplayer has a limited number of cards from which to determine a win.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,893,049 (Schmitt) discloses a method of playing animproved version of stud poker wherein from two to eight players canplay the game and a fully shuffled 52 card deck of cards is used wherein14 cards of the deck have wild cards variations printed thereon theseselected cards. The 14 wild variation cards are what make the method ofplaying the crazy stud poker invention unique over any other stud pokercard game.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,889,981 (Parker) describes a method of playing a cardgame including steps of selecting a combination of cards in an at leastapparently random manner, the combination including zero or more specialcards (not a conventional wild card such as a joker), and determiningwhether the combination results in a win or lose state.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,830,247 (Lo) discloses an invention that is asix-card-stud poker game, played with at least one but preferably onestandard poker deck of 52 cards plus at least one but preferably twoJokers. After at least one wager is placed, each Player and the Bankerare each dealt six cards; the Players and the Banker each then selectsand keeps his best 5-card poker hand from his six cards and discards onecard. To win a Poker Bet wager, a Player's best 5-card poker hand mustrank higher than the Banker's best 5-card poker hand. To win a side-betwager, a Player's best 5-card poker hand must be one of thepredetermined winning hands of the type of the side bet he bets on.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,719,292 (Lo) describes an eight-card-stud poker game,played with at least one but preferably one standard poker deck of 52cards, plus at least one but preferably four Jokers. A Player who is nota Banker may play Aces Two Pair Or Better Bet, 3 Of A Kind Or BetterBet, Straight Or Better Bet, Flush Or Better Bet, Full House Or BetterBet, 4 Of A Kind Or Better Bet, and/or Bonus Bet betting on the contentsof the Player's own hand. After at least one bet is placed, each Playerand the Banker are each dealt seven cards and one community card. Fromeach Player's own seven dealt cards and the community card, he selectsand keeps his best 5-card poker hand and discards three other cards. Towin a bet, the Player's best 5-card poker hand must be one of thepredetermining winning hands of the type of the bet he bets on,regardless of the Banker's hand. If a Player makes more than one bet,the Player may win all bets made, the Player may win some bet(s) andlose the other(s), or the Player may lose all bets made.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,712,360 (Yaple) discloses a method of playing a pokergame using a standard deck of cards, a first die having indiciarepresentative of Jokers and numbers, a second die having indiciarepresentative of numbers, and Joker icons, wherein the number of cardsand Joker icons from which a player builds the best possible five cardpoker hand is determined by rolling the dice.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,757 (Timpano) describes a method for playing a gamein which players play against a casino using a standard fifty two carddeck plus at least one joker, which acts as a wild card. In an alternateembodiment, the game may be played on an electronic device andelectronic representations of the cards may be used. Each player makes abase wager and, optionally, a bonus wager. Five cards are dealt to eachplayer and to the dealer. Any player having a predetermined automaticwinning holding is immediately rewarded and excluded from furtherparticipation in the game except to resolve any bonus wager. Each playernot having an automatic winning holding has the option to discard andreplace a single card. The dealer hand is revealed the dealer receives asingle additional card. In turn, each player's hand is revealed. Eachbase wager is resolved by comparing the poker ranking of the player'shand to the poker ranking of the casino hand. The player is rewarded ifthe player's hand has a higher ranking than the dealer hand; otherwise,the player's base wager is collected by the casino. Bonus wagers areresolved by comparing the final player hand and the final dealer hand toa predetermined set of bonus holdings including, at least, a bonusholding in which the final player hand includes one joker, a bonusholding in which the final player hand includes two jokers, and a bonusholding in which the final dealer hand and the final player hand eachinclude one joker.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,079 (Chamberlain) discloses a method of playing acard game. A standard deck of playing cards is used wherein a particularcard having a particular value is designated as a dual purpose card thatfunctions as a wild card when face down and a killer card when face up.Any player with a killer card must surrender his or her bets andwithdraw from play.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,156 (Feola) teaches a card game having multiplerounds in which a player chooses which rounds to play and a number oflocations on a displayed grid of hidden, randomly-selected cards foreach chosen round. Each round has rules different from the other rounds.Cards later revealed at the chosen locations and at randomly selectedlocations are used to play the chosen rounds. Payouts are determined bythe number of player-chosen locations that matches the number ofrandomly selected locations and/or by the hand formed by the randomlyselected cards revealed in the player-chosen locations.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,002 (Goldman) describes a poker-style casino cardgame wherein jokers are never wild. The game uses a 52 card standardplaying deck plus an additional five Jokers for a total of 57 playingcards. A sixth “imaginary” or side Joker is deemed to be within aplayer's hand if he places one of the side bets. The other side betprovides for greater payout based on standard poker hand rankings.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,012 (Feola) provides for a poker game wherein theamount of successive wagers is pre-established. Each hand is preceded byplayers making at least one initial wager. A dealer also provideshimself/herself with a plurality of cards and each player is displayedat least one card to form an initial partial hand. The players are giventhe opportunity to view their initial partial hands and are thenrequired to increase their wagers by a predetermined amount in order tocontinue playing that hand. If the player increases his/her wager by thepredetermined amount, then the player will be displayed at least oneadditional card. Various embodiments of the present invention requiresubsequent wagers in different amounts. For example, one embodimentrequires a player to place two subsequent wagers in amounts equal to theplayer's initial wager in order to complete the hand. Alternativeembodiments require players to make more than three subsequent wagers inequal amounts in order to complete the hand. Still other embodimentsrequire players to make wagers in successively increasing amounts. Yetstill other embodiments provide losing players with bonus payments basedupon the ranking of a player's hand in combination with the player'sante.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,315 (Mostashari) describes a poker game withdesignatable jokers wherein the player designates one of his cards as aJoker and whereby the player has a Poker hand comprised of four cardsand a Joker. The dealer designates one of his cards as a Joker wherebythe dealer has a Poker hand comprised of four cards and a Joker. Apayout is made to the player when the player's hand has a rank that isat least as high as the rank of the dealer's hand.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,019,973 (Wilcox) describes a computer card game using avideo screen which allows the player to make a second wager for anadditional card after a first card hand has been dealt which will becompared with the cards in the first card hand. The matching cards aredefined as Jokers or Wild Cards which are then used to define the bestcard hand.

United States Patent Application No. 20060027967 (Chen) describes a cardgame with the playing method of Casino War and Blackjack (twenty-one)that multiple players engage in taking turns to play their own handagainst a dealer's hand. It uses a shoe with six decks or eight decks ofstandard playing card with jokers (54 cards of each deck). Inconjunction with standard rules of both Casino War and Blackjack cardgame, the jokers serve as a winning card. Any hand with a joker isautomatically won. The Jokers 21 also allows players to wager on fourdifferent betting choices, One Card bet, One Card Tie bet, Jokers 21bet, and Jokers 21 Tie bet.

United States Patent Application No. 20010015529 (Allen) describes agame utilizing a standard fifty-two card deck of playing cards plus asingle Joker, or electronic representations thereof. Players wager onthe outcome of the game by placing table card wagers and bonus wagers ona layout that indicates the outcomes that will result in a payoff foreach wager. Five cards are dealt from a shuffled deck of cardsdesignating a table hand from which a single table card is selected.Table card wagers are paid or collected based on the characteristics ofthe table card. Five card, bonus, wagers are paid or collected based onthe characteristics of the five cards of the table hand.

Each of the references discussed in this text art are incorporatedherein in their entirety for all purposes.

It is an ever-increasing challenge to provide players with new andenticing gameplay features that will stimulate player interest andincrease time at the table or the machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method of playing a wagering card game for a single player or a numberof players uses a single deck or preferably multiple decks of standardplaying cards having a standard rank. Each standard deck of 52 cards isaugmented by at least one joker or two jokers (or specialty cards, as a“Bankruptcy Card” or the like). The game begins with at least a firstgame wager from each player, and is played in a predetermined maximumnumber of rounds, each round consisting of the deal of at least twocards and preferably precisely two cards to each player that has placedthe first game wager and the dealer. At the end of the first round, thegame is over if the dealer's hand contains at least a minimum specifiedrank. Rankings, from minimum rank to maximum rank, consist of a Pair,3-of-a-Kind, 4-of-a-Kind, 5-of-a-Kind, etc. Each player's hand is thencompared to the dealer's hand, and the higher ranking hand wins. Winningplayer hands are paid according to a predetermined paytable. Ties may ormay not be pushes. If, on the other hand, at the end of the first roundthe dealer's hand does not contain at least a minimum specified rank,the player may elect to either fold (losing the initial wager), resolveany winning wagers, or make an additional wager to play the secondround. Any resolved winning player hands are paid according to thepredetermined paytable, and those same players do not compete in thesecond round. That is, even if the player's hand wins on the firstround, the player places the entire in first game wager and any secondgame wager at risk by continuing the game. The second round requires anadditional second game wager, and is played in accordance withapproximately the same first round rules aforementioned. Play continuesin the same fashion until the end of the last round, usually a thirdround, with a third game wager required to enter the third round,preferably with both the first game wager and the second game wagerremaining at risk. At the end of any round, a player's hand with oneJoker may or must automatically bust; i.e., all of the player's wagersare lost, and his cards removed. If the dealer's hand has one Jokerafter any round, the game may or must be over and the dealer mayautomatically win over any active player hand, with all wagers and cardsbeing removed. There are variable rules provided on the impact of theoccurrence of a joker in either the player or dealer hand, as explainedin detail below. However, at the end of any round, a player's handhaving multiple Jokers may or must automatically win. If the dealer'shand has multiple Jokers after any round, the game may or must be overand the dealer's hand may or must automatically lose, in which case eachactive player may be paid a bonus, premium or enhanced pay.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows a table game layout for the game technology describedherein.

FIG. 2 shows the game elements for a game utilizing the game technologydescribed herein.

FIG. 3 shows a first game utilizing the game technology describedherein.

FIG. 4 shows the first game at a later stage.

FIG. 5 shows the first game at a later stage.

FIG. 6 shows the first game at a later stage.

FIG. 7 shows the first game at a final stage.

FIG. 8 shows a second game utilizing the game technology describedherein.

FIG. 9 shows the second game at a later stage.

FIG. 10 shows the second game at a final stage.

FIG. 11 shows a third game utilizing the game technology describedherein.

FIG. 12 shows the third game at a later stage.

FIG. 13 shows the third game at a later stage.

FIG. 14 shows the third game at a later stage.

FIG. 15 shows the third game at a final stage.

FIG. 16 shows a fourth game utilizing the game technology describedherein.

FIG. 17 shows the fourth game at a final stage.

FIG. 18 shows a fifth game utilizing the game technology describedherein.

FIG. 19 shows the fifth game at a final stage.

FIG. 20 shows a sixth game utilizing the game technology describedherein.

FIG. 21 shows a seventh game utilizing the game technology describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A method of playing a wagering card game for a single player or a numberof players uses at least one and preferably multiple (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,or 8, for example) decks of standard playing cards having a standardrank that are augmented by one or more jokers or specialty cards thatare not an Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen or King. Thegame is played in a predetermined maximum number of rounds in each ofwhich are dealt at least two cards (and preferably exactly two cards) toeach player and the dealer in each round. Preferably there are exactlythree rounds of play within a single game event. The dealer's hand andthe player's hand are compared after each round according to the rulesof the game, which will be generically referred to herein as“Two-for-the-Money” card game. The game may end after any round, or maycontinue until the end of the last round according to predeterminedrules of play. Winning events and winning player hands are paidaccording to a predetermined paytable.

The generic game according to the present disclosure may be provided asa video poker game or a live table game or hybrid casino table gamehaving combinations of physical game elements (chips and cards) andvirtual game elements (chips, cards, dealers, etc.). By hybrid systemsis meant those systems known in the art where there may be a fullyautomated gaming table, such as the Shuffle Master, Inc. Multi-PlayerPlatform™ system or a system with a dealer and automated betrecognitions and card reading and/or display. The wager may be providedin a casino table card game with chips, tokens, money, credit or creditcharge. The wager in a video game is usually made with credits or creditcharges. Automatic card shufflers or continuous card shufflers may beused in the practice of the game.

The method of playing the wagering card game comprises providing atleast one standard deck of 52 playing cards with standard poker ranksthat is augmented by at least one Joker. The player places at least oneinitial first round wager prior to viewing any cards in play during thewagering card game and receives a plurality of cards from the deck(s) ofcards after placing the at least one first wager. The dealer receives atleast a same plurality of cards from the remaining cards in the deck(s)of cards to complete a first round of play. The player's hand is thencompared to the dealer's hand, using poker rank without consideration ofstraights, flushes and straight flushes as the criterion for comparison.The winning hand is determined according to the said comparison and anend of the game is declared if the dealer hand has at least a minimumpredetermined specific rank. The wager or wagers are resolved accordingto a predetermined paytable, with a potential for placing a second roundwager for continued play in the wagering card game.

If the dealer hand does not have at least a minimum predeterminedspecific rank (at least a preselected high card rank or a pair), thegame continues. The player then makes one choice selected from the groupconsisting of a) folding, thereby losing all wagers made on the game; b)completing the game by accepting payment for a winning hand of apredetermined specific rank paid according to the predeterminedpaytable; and c) making an additional wager to continue the game andreceive additional playing cards, placing all wagers at risk. The gamecontinues with the player placing at least one additional wager prior toviewing any additional cards in play during the wagering card game. Theplayer receives an additional plurality of cards from the remainingcards in the deck(s) of cards after placing the at least one additionalwager and the dealer receives a same number of additional plurality ofcards from the remaining cards in the deck(s) of cards to complete asecond round of play. An end of the game is declared if the dealer handhas at least a minimum predetermined specific rank. The player's hand isthen compared to the dealer's hand, using poker rank as the criterionfor comparison, excluding straights, flushes and straight flushes in thecomparison. The winning hand is determined according to the saidcomparison and the wager or wagers are resolved according to apredetermined paytable.

If the dealer hand does not have at least a minimum predeterminedspecific rank, the game continues with the player making one choiceselected from the group consisting of a) folding, thereby losing allwagers made on the game; b) completing the game by accepting payment fora winning hand of a predetermined specific rank paid according to thepredetermined paytable; and c) making an additional wager to continuethe game and receive additional playing cards, placing all wagers atrisk. The game continues with the player placing at least one additionalwager prior to viewing any additional cards in play during the wageringcard game and receiving a final plurality of cards from the remainingcards in the deck(s) of cards after placing the at least one additionalwager. The dealer receives a same final number of plurality of cardsfrom the remaining cards in the deck(s) of cards to complete a thirdround of play and the end of the game is declared. A final comparison ofthe player's hand to the dealer's hand is made, using at least somepoker ranks as the criterion for comparison. The winning hand isdetermined according to the said comparison and the wager or wagers areresolved according to a predetermined paytable.

Overriding rules may apply to the Jokers. If the player's hand containsexactly one Joker in any round, the player's hand may automatically loseand all wagers by that player with exactly one joker are lost. If thedealer's hand contains one Joker, the dealer's hand may automaticallywin over any player hand still in play, with the player losing allwagers. If the player's hand contains two Jokers, the player's hand mayautomatically win according to the predetermined paytable. If thedealer's hand contains two Jokers, the dealer's hand may automaticallylose against any player hand still in play, with the playerautomatically winning according to the predetermined paytable. If theplayer's hand contains one Joker and the dealer's hand contains twoJokers, the player's hand may not automatically lose. If the player'shand contains two Jokers, the player's hand may automatically winaccording to the predetermined paytable even if the dealer's handcontains one Joker. An alternate treatment of the presence of a singlejoker in a player hand or dealer hand may be treated in a step selectedfrom the group consisting of: a) the player automatically losing allwagers placed during the game; b) the player pushing on all wagersplaced during the game; and c) the player losing all wagers placedduring the game, but being allowed to replace any part of the wagersplaced during the game up to an amount equal to the amount of the wagerspreviously placed.

Any final player hand that does not contain at least a minimumpredetermined specific rank may either lose or push. Ties between theplayer's hand and the dealer's hand may cause the player to either pushhis wager, lose his wager, or win his wager.

The present invention is preferably played with multiple decks of cards,with each deck comprising 53 or 54 cards, i.e., 52 standard cards with 1or 2 jokers. The game is played in at least two rounds and preferablyplayed in three rounds. Each player makes a first game wager to play afirst round. Round One begins with two cards being dealt face up to eachplayer and the dealer. The game is over if the dealer's hand contains atleast a minimum specified rank. Specified rankings, from minimum rank tomaximum rank, consist of a Pair, 3-of-a-Kind (in the second round),4-of-a-Kind (in the second or third round), 5-of-a-Kind (in the thirdround) and 6-of-a-Kind (in the third round). Flushes and/or straightsare optionally and preferably not specified rankings in this invention,with only pairs, trips, quads, five-of-a-kind or six-of-a-kind being theonly ranks in play (although straight flushes and Royal Flushes may alsobe included as special bonus hands). Each player's hand is then comparedto the dealer's hand at each stage or round of the game, and the higherranking hand wins on the wagers in play. Winning player hands are paidaccording to a predetermined paytable. Ties may or may not be pushes.If, on the other hand, at the end of the Round One the dealer's handdoes not contain at least a minimum specified rank, the player may electto either: fold (losing the initial wager), resolve any winning wagersif the player has at least a specified rank, or make an additional wager(whether or not the player has a specified rank) to play the secondround. To that end, the dealer having less than a minimum rank may havelittle or no effect on the play of the continuing game, at the option ofthe player. Any resolved winning player hands may be paid according tothe predetermined paytable, and those same players then do not competein the second round. For a player to continue into Round Two, the playeris required to place an additional wager, and the Second Round is playedin accordance with substantially the same general first round rulesstated above. Round Three also requires an additional wager, and isplayed in accordance with the substantially same first and second roundrules stated above, with the dealer less-than-minimum hand having nosignificant impact or being optionally present in the first, second andthird rounds.

Additional overriding rules apply to the jokers. At the end of anyround, a player's hand with one Joker may automatically bust or lose allexisting wagers; i.e., all of the player's wagers are lost, and hiscards removed. If the dealer's hand has one Joker after any round, thegame also may be over and the dealer may automatically win over anyactive player hand, with all wagers and cards being removed. However, atthe end of any round, a player's hand having two Jokers which in thisformat must be received in a deal of a single round) may automaticallywin (even if the dealer has one Joker), in which case the player is paidaccording to the predetermined paytable. The game may then be over forthat said player or continue, with the double joker not receivingadditional payment in subsequent rounds. If the dealer's hand has twoJokers after any round, the game also may be over (with no additionalrounds of play being dealt) and the dealer's hand may automaticallylose, in which case each active player may be paid a bonus, premium orenhanced pay according to the predetermined paytable.

The presence of jokers may also be treated differently as a further playoption. For example, rather than having a joker in the player ordealer's hand automatically lose, which could upset a player with anotherwise very good hand, the presence of a joker in either hand maycompel a push (even if or only if the player's hand is otherwise betterthan the dealer's hand). Another alternative would be to allow theplayer to forfeit the previous wagers and replace the initial wager atthe same amount to remain in the game. This would be done, for example,if the player has a pair or three-of-a-kind in the second or thirdround, thus allowing the player an opportunity to win some amount backas the game continues. Additionally, the presence of a joker in eitherhand allows the player the opportunity in future rounds of a secondjoker (or specialty card) being dealt to that hand, where the playerwould receive a win or bonus amount for the presence of two jokers in asingle hand, as explained in the game rules. These variants minimize theadverse impact of a single joker being dealt to a hand and offer theplayer more strategy options, which advanced players appreciate.

The following description describes one of a number of preferred methodsand rules of play that may be used in the practice of the presentinvention. The sample of the rules is provided below as an example, butnot as a limitation in the practice of the game. Samples of paytablesfor the game are also provided below as examples, but not as limitationsin the practice of the game.

Preferred Rules of Play for “Two for the Money”:

The game is played with multiple decks of 53 or 54 cards each, i.e.,each deck is comprised of 52 standard cards and one or two additionalJokers or specialty cards.

The game is preferably dealt in 3 rounds for each game.

Two cards are dealt to each player and the dealer in each round for atotal of 6 cards maximum in a three round game.

If a player has a Joker after any round's deal, he automatically loses(or pushes in a less preferred format).

If the dealer has a Joker after a round's deal, he automatically winsagainst all active player hands (or the game pushes, or the player hasan option of restaking his original and other wagers to remain in thegame, losing the initial or additional wagers to that point in thegame).

If a player has 2 Jokers after any round's deal, he automatically wins(even if the dealer has one Joker) according to a predeterminedpaytable.

If the dealer has 2 Jokers after a round's deal, the dealer or houseautomatically loses against all active player hands, and each player ispaid according to a predetermined paytable.

ROUND ONE:

-   1. Players make a first bet game wager.-   2. Players and dealer are dealt 2 cards each.-   3. If the dealer has a pair, the game is or may be over. If a player    has a higher pair, the player wins. Otherwise the player loses if    the dealer has a pair.    ROUND TWO (dealer did not have a pair in Round 1):-   1. A player can either (choose one):-   A. Fold (lose 1st game bet wager)-   B. End his game if he has a pair, and does not want to continue. The    pair pays 1:1. If there is a dealer qualifying minimum or if the    game otherwise allows, if the player hand beats the dealer hand,    there may be an additional 1:1 payment.-   C. Make a second same size bet to play Round Two. This is the only    option that keeps the player active in a continuing game.-   2. Active players and dealer are dealt an additional 2 cards each.-   3. If the dealer has at least a pair, the game is over. If a player    has a higher ranked hand, the player wins on all remaining wagers.    Otherwise the player loses when the dealer has at least a pair.    Three or four-card flushes are meaningless in the play of the game    at this point.    ROUND THREE (dealer did not have at least a pair in Round 2):-   1. A player can either (choose one):-   A. Fold (lose 1st and 2nd bets)-   B. End his game if he has at least a pair, and does not want to    continue. The hand pays according to the paytable.-   C. Make a third (same size bet) game wager to get 2 more cards. This    is the only option that keeps the player active in a continuing    game.-   2. Active players and dealer are dealt an additional 2 cards each.

FINAL SCORING:

-   If the player has a higher ranking hand, he wins according to the    paytable. Otherwise the player loses.-   Ties are pushes.-   Player hands that do not contain at least a pair, lose.

SAMPLE PAYTABLE:

-   Pair—1-to-1-   2 Pairs—2-to-1-   3 Pairs—3-to-1-   3-of-a-Kind—3-to-1-   3-of-a-Kind with 1 Pair—5-to-1-   3-of-a-Kind with 3oak—8-to-1-   4-of-a-Kind—10-to-1-   4-of-a-Kind with 1 Pair—15-to-1-   5-of-a-Kind—50-to-1-   6-of-a-Kind—100-to-1-   2 Jokers (Player)—25-to-1-   2 Jokers (Dealer)—10-to-1 plus value of player's hand

In the play of this game, it becomes apparent that straights and flushesare played as irrelevant. It is an option to allow them as hands ofvalue under the paytable, and it may even be desirable to at least allowstraight flushes and Royal Straight Flushes and a Super straight flush(6 consecutive cards in the same suit) or Super Royal Straight flush (9,10, J, Q, K and Ace in suit) to be present on the paytable, with payoutrates such as 10:1, 50:1, 75:1 and 200:1, respectively. This would causeplayers to stay in the game with four cards providing a possible highpayback hand, even when there are no pairs in the hand, which isordinarily a losing hand.

It is also to be noted that in the variation shown, a Full House istreated as three-of-a-kind and a pair. It may be treated as a Full Housein the paytable as another option.

SAMPLE EASY-PAY PAYTABLE: Add up all payouts that apply (i.e., a handthat includes one 3-of-a-Kind plus a Pair would receive 3-to-1 plus1-to-1, or a total of 4-to-1):

-   Any Pair—1-to-1-   Any 3-of-a-Kind—3-to-1-   Any 4-of-a-Kind—12-to-1-   Any 5-of-a-Kind—50-to-1-   Any 6-of-a-Kind—100-to-1-   2 Jokers (Player)—20-to-1-   2 Jokers (Dealer)—10-to-1 plus value of player's hand-   Straight Flush 10:1-   Royal Flush 50:1-   Super Straight Flush (6-card straight flush) 100:1-   Super Royal Flush 200:1

Reference to the Figures will assist in further understanding of thepractice of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows sample table game layout 2 with a dealer hand area 4 andsix player stations 6.

FIG. 2 shows the elements of the player station and the dealer handareas as referred to in FIG. 1. The player hand area 8 is comprised ofsix individual card areas (10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20) and three bettingcircle areas 22 designated as Round 1, Round 2, and Round 3. The dealerhand area 30 is comprised of six individual card areas (40, 42, 44, 46,48, 50). Alternately, these same elements may be graphically displayedon a monitor screen for a video poker game version of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 refers to the elements in FIG. 2 with the player wagering a $5chip 60 to play Round 1 of a first game.

FIG. 4 refers to the elements in FIG. 3 with the deal of a first card tothe player 70, a first card to the dealer 72, a second card to theplayer 74 and a second card to the dealer 76.

FIG. 5 refers to the elements in FIG. 4 after the player has consideredhis first two cards in relation to the dealer's first two cards. Sinceneither the dealer nor the player has achieved a pair, ensuring thecontinuation of the game, the player may decide to either 1) fold or 2)wager again to keep playing the game. Here the player has higher cardsthan the dealer, which makes an eventual winning hand a goodpossibility, so the player wagers a second $5 chip 80 to play Round 2 ofthe game.

FIG. 6 refers to the elements in FIG. 5 with the deal of a third card tothe player 90, a third card to the dealer 92, a fourth card to theplayer 94 and a fourth card to the dealer 96.

FIG. 7 refers to the elements in FIG. 6 after the player has consideredhis first four cards in relation to the dealer's first four cards. Thedealer did not achieve at least a pair, but the player has a Pair of 9s(70, 90). The player may now decide to either take the win, or play onby wagering a third $5 chip and risking the entire bet. Since the dealerhas and Ace 92 and a King 96 that could pair up in Round 3 and thereforebeat his Pair of 9s, the player is wary of playing on. The playerdecides to take his win of 1:1 odds, and is paid $10 in chips 98. Thisfirst game is now over.

FIG. 8 refers to the elements in FIG. 2 with the player wagering a $5chip 100 to play Round 1 of a second game.

FIG. 9 refers to the elements in FIG. 8 with the deal of a first card tothe player 110, a first card to the dealer 112, a second card to theplayer 114 and a second card to the dealer 116. The dealer has paired upso the game is over.

FIG. 10 refers to the elements in FIG. 9 with the player losing his $5wager because he did not pair up.

FIG. 11 refers to the elements in FIG. 2 with the player wagering a $5chip 120 to play Round 1 of a third game.

FIG. 12 refers to the elements in FIG. 11 with the deal of a first cardto the player 130, a first card to the dealer 132, a second card to theplayer 134 and a second card to the dealer 136.

FIG. 13 refers to the elements in FIG. 12 after the player hasconsidered his first two cards in relation to the dealer's first twocards. Since neither the dealer nor the player has achieved a pair,ensuring the continuation of the game, the player may decide toeither 1) fold or 2) wager again to keep playing the game. Here theplayer has at least one card higher than the dealer, which makes aneventual winning hand a possibility, so the player wagers a second $5chip 140 to play Round 2 of the game.

FIG. 14 refers to the elements in FIG. 13 with the deal of a third cardto the player 150, a third card to the dealer 152, a fourth card to theplayer 154 and a fourth card to the dealer 156.

FIG. 15 refers to the elements in FIG. 14 after the player hasconsidered his first four cards in relation to the dealer's first fourcards. The dealer did not achieve at least a pair, but has three highcards that could pair up in Round 3. The player has only low cards thathave a poor chance of winning. The player may now decide to either fold,or play on by wagering a third $5 chip and risking the entire bet. Theplayer decides to fold, and loses both of his $5 wagers. This game isnow over.

FIG. 16 refers to the game elements in FIG. 2 and shows a fourth game inprogress. The player has already wagered a $5 chip 200 to play Round 1and a $5 chip 220 to play Round 2. The player has already received fourcards (210, 214, 230, 234), and the dealer has received four cards (212,216, 232, 236). The player has paired up with a Pair of Jacks (214,230), and considers his options. He may take the sure win, or continuein the game, hoping that his Pair of Jacks will be good enough for aneventual win or that he may achieve an even higher hand. The playerdecides to continue in the game by wagering a third $5 chip 240 to playRound 3 and risking the entire $15 bet.

FIG. 17 refers to the elements in FIG. 16 and shows the deal of a fifthcard 250 and a sixth card 254 for the player, and a fifth card 252 and asixth card 256 for the dealer. Even though the player has achieved3-of-a-Kind Jacks (214, 230, 250), the dealer has a single Joker 252.According to the rules as specified herein, the player automaticallyloses his entire wager of $15.

FIG. 18 refers to the game elements in FIG. 2 and shows a fifth game inprogress. The player has already wagered a $5 chip 300 to play Round 1and a $5 chip 320 to play Round 2. The player has already received fourcards (310, 314, 330, 334), and the dealer has received four cards (312,316, 332, 336). Even though the dealer has not paired up, the player hasa single Joker 330.

FIG. 19 refers to the elements in FIG. 18, and according to the rules asspecified herein, shows the player automatically losing his entire wagerof $10 because of the single Joker 330.

FIG. 20 shows the results of a sixth game according to the rulesspecified herein. At the end of the third and final round of play, afterthe player has wagered a total of three $5 chips (400, 420, 440), thedealer's hand has six cards (412, 416, 432, 436, 452, 456), and theplayer's hand has six cards (410, 414, 430, 434, 450, 454). The playerdoes not have at least a pair, but because the dealer's hand has twoJokers (452, 456), the player automatically wins 10:1, and is paid $150in $50 chips 460.

FIG. 21 shows the results of a seventh game according to the rulesspecified herein. The player has wagered $5 to play 500, and has beendealt two cards (510, 514). The dealer also has two cards (512, 516).Even though the dealer has a Pair of 5s (512, 516), the player has twoJokers (510, 514), which automatically gives the player a win. He ispaid 20:1, as shown by the two $50 chips 520.

Although specific examples and specific paytables have been provided inthis discussion, these specifics are intended to be only support for thegeneric concepts of the invention and are not intended to be absolutelimits in the scope of the technology discussed.

1. A method of playing a wagering card game comprising: providing atleast one standard deck of 52 playing cards with standard poker ranksthat is augmented by at least one Joker; a player placing at least oneinitial first round wager prior to viewing any cards in play during thewagering card game; the player receiving a plurality of cards from thedeck(s) of cards after placing the at least one first wager; the dealerreceiving at least a same plurality of cards from the remaining cards inthe deck(s) of cards to complete a first round of play; comparing theplayer's hand to the dealer's hand, using poker rank withoutconsideration of straights, flushes and straight flushes as thecriterion for comparison; determining the winning hand according to thesaid comparison; resolving the wager or wagers according to apredetermined paytable, with a potential for placing a second roundwager for continued play in the wagering card game.
 2. The method ofclaim 1 wherein an end of the game is declared if the dealer hand has atleast a minimum predetermined specific rank.
 3. The method of claim 1wherein if the dealer hand does not have at least a minimumpredetermined specific rank the game continues.
 4. The method of claim 3wherein the at least a minimum hand is selected from the groupconsisting of at least a preselected high card rank and a pair.
 5. Themethod of claim 3 wherein the player makes one choice selected from thegroup consisting of a) folding, thereby losing all wagers made on thegame; b) completing the game by accepting payment for a winning hand ofa predetermined specific rank paid according to the predeterminedpaytable; and c) making an additional wager to continue the game andreceive additional playing cards, placing all wagers at risk.
 6. Themethod of claim 5 whereby the game continues wherein: a player places atleast one additional wager prior to viewing any additional cards in playduring the wagering card game; the player receives an additionalplurality of cards from the remaining cards in the deck(s) of cardsafter placing the at least one additional wager; the dealer receives asame number of additional plurality of cards from the remaining cards inthe deck(s) of cards to complete a second round of play; declaring theend of the game if the dealer hand has at least a minimum predeterminedspecific rank; comparing the player's hand to the dealer's hand, usingpoker rank as the criterion for comparison, excluding straights, flushesand straight flushes in the comparison; determining the winning handaccording to the said comparison; and resolving a wager or wagersaccording to a predetermined paytable.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein,if the dealer hand does not have at least a minimum predeterminedspecific rank, the game continues.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein theplayer makes one choice selected from the group consisting of a)folding, thereby losing all wagers made on the game; b) completing thegame by accepting payment for a winning hand of a predetermined specificrank paid according to the predetermined paytable; and c) making anadditional wager to continue the game and receive additional playingcards, placing all wagers at risk.
 9. The method of claim 8 whereby thegame continues wherein: a player places at least one additional wagerprior to viewing any additional cards in play during the wagering cardgame; the player receives a final plurality of cards from the remainingcards in the deck(s) of cards after placing the at least one additionalwager; the dealer receives a same final number of plurality of cardsfrom the remaining cards in the deck(s) of cards to complete a thirdround of play; declaring the end of the game; comparing the player'shand to the dealer's hand, using at least some poker ranks as thecriterion for comparison; determining the winning hand according to thesaid comparison; and resolving the wager or wagers according to apredetermined paytable.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein if theplayer's hand contains exactly one Joker in any hand, the player's handautomatically loses and all wagers by that player with exactly one jokerare lost.
 11. The method of claim 9 wherein if the dealer's handcontains one Joker, the dealer's hand automatically wins over any playerhand still in play, with the player losing all wagers.
 12. The method ofclaim 9 wherein if the player's hand contains two Jokers, the player'shand automatically wins according to the predetermined paytable.
 13. Themethod of claim 9 wherein if the dealer's hand contains two Jokers, thedealer's hand automatically loses against any player hand still in play,with the player automatically winning according to the predeterminedpaytable.
 14. The method of claim 10 wherein if the player's handcontains one Joker and the dealer's hand contains two Jokers, theplayer's hand does not automatically lose.
 15. The method of claim 12wherein the player's hand containing two Jokers automatically winsaccording to the predetermined paytable even if the dealer's handcontains one Joker.
 16. The method of claim 9 wherein a final playerhand that does not contain at least a minimum predetermined specificrank loses.
 17. The method of claim 9 wherein a final player hand thatdoes not contain at least a minimum predetermined specific rank pushes.18. The method of claim 9 wherein the player pushes his wager on tiesbetween the player's hand and the dealer's hand.
 19. The method of claim9 wherein the player loses his wager on ties between the player's handand the dealer's hand.
 20. The method of claim 9 wherein the player winshis wager on ties between the player's hand and the dealer's hand. 21.The method of claim 1 wherein the presence of a single joker in a playerhand or dealer hand may be treated in a step selected from the groupconsisting of: a) the player automatically losing all wagers placedduring the game; b) the player pushing on all wagers placed during thegame; and c) the player losing all wagers placed during the game, butbeing allowed to replace any part of the wagers placed during the gameup to an amount equal to the amount of the wagers previously placed.